LEARNING CENTER ENGLISH TUTORING LAB HANDOUT
FIND WORD MEANINGS IN SENTENCES
Graphic marks:
Sentence set off by dashes. -•
Origami-- Japanese paper folding—is interesting.
Sentence set off by parentheses ( ).
•
Ecology (the science of the environment) is a growing field.
Sentence set off by commas. , ,
•
Fibrin, elastic threads of protein, helps blood to clot.
Helping words and phrases
“that is” “is called”
•
Mary felt perturbed; that is, she was greatly disturbed by her sister's
meaning.
•
One computer drive that stores more data than a diskette is called a zip
drive.
Words and phrases that describe the opposite meaning.
“cannot” “not” “but” “although” “however” “on the other hand”
•
Parents who constantly spank their children cannot be called lenient.
The opposite description of parents who constantly spank their children is
merciful or gentle. That gives the reader a good guess of the meaning of the
word “lenient.”
Your own experience
•
The cacophonous rattling made Maria cover her ears.
If you cover your ears, it is because a noise is unpleasant and jarring.
Sentences before or after an unknown word.
•
Mozart gave his first public recital at the age of six. By age thirteen he had
written symphonies and an operetta, a remarkable achievement. He is
justly called a child prodigy.
“A remarkable person” explains the meaning of the word prodigy.
•
One of the remarkable features of the Nile Valley is fertility of its soil. This
supported plant growth that made it possible for Egyptians to thrive in a
dry region.
A soil that supports plant growth has to be a rich soil. The reader has to know
the definition of thrive to understand the word fertility.
Some sentences give examples
•
Select a periodical from among the following: Playboy, Time, Reader's
Digest, or Seventeen.
The sentence doesn't say that give new periodical is a magazine, but the reader
can figure that out from the definition.
Some sentences use a word you do know to explain a word you do
not.
•
A formidable enemy is one to be feared.
Formidable means fearful.
Handout created by the staff and students of the DVC Learning Center. Copyright 2003.